Six things to know about Zoo's colourful trio of mandrill monkeys | video

Jessica Barrett, Calgary Herald05.16.2014

One of three new male Mandrills peeks out at his new home in the TransAlta Rainforest building at the Calgary Zoo on Friday March 16, 2014. The primates who are threatened in the wild were shown to the public for the first time on Friday.Gavin Young
/ Calgary Herald

One of three new male Mandrills peeks out at his new home in the TransAlta Rainforest building at the Calgary Zoo on Friday March 16, 2014. The primates who are threatened in the wild were shown to the public for the first time on Friday.Gavin Young
/ Calgary Herald

The three newest faces at the Calgary Zoo are hard to miss. With their vibrant, colourful markings in blue, yellow and red, a trio of mandrill monkeys are have moved into the zoo’s rainforest habitat. Brothers Yosufu, 10, Tumbili, 9, and Babu, 7, were a little shy at their media debut Friday, but zoo visitors will have plenty of time to get to know them as they mature into their newly renovated enclosure in the TransAlta Rainforest Building. The first new species to join the zoo after last year’s flood damage, the Herald caught up with zoo curator Dr. Malu Celli to find out what we can expect from these exotic additions.

What is a mandrill?

The world’s largest monkey, mandrills in the wild are found in the rainforests of equatorial Africa in countries such as Guinea, Nigeria and Cameroon. Known for the vivid red, blue and yellow markings on the muzzle and rump, mandrills also have long canine teeth that make a memorable impression. The monkeys are largely ground-dwelling omnivores that forage on grubs, eggs, fruit, leaves and reptiles, but they will climb trees for fun or for a safe place to sleep. Mature males can weigh up to 50 kg. and live up to about 25 years of age. Their colours also get brighter as they mature.

How do they behave?

Males can appear aggressive when they flash their canines at one another, but that is really a sign of friendly communication common in their complex social hierarchies, said Celli. In fact, despite their striking looks, mandrills tend to be quite shy. Because the group at the zoo is all male, you won’t see any displays of bravado that signal mating behaviour, but you will see the younger males following the lead of their dominant oldest brother, Yusufu. Celli said the adolescent younger brothers will copy his mannerisms and even his walk. “They’re a bit star-struck with him,” she said. The social dynamics between them will become more clear as they get used to their new home.

Where did the zoo’s mandrills come from?

The trio were born in captivity in the Granby Zoo in Granby, Q.C. and were part of a family group there that had too many males. Celli said it is not unusual to find bachelor groups of mandrills in the wild, or males that hang out on the peripheries of a “super group.” This group arrived in Calgary in mid-April, but spent a little over a month in quarantine while they adjusted to Alberta and waited for their newly renovated enclosure to be ready. Their debut at the zoo marks the first time the monkeys have had access to an outdoor habitat.

How do you keep them happy?

As more discoveries are made about what animals need to be happy and healthy in captivity, there is a greater responsibility on zoos to provide more and better habitat to meet their needs. The mandrills have taken over a space specifically created for primates adjacent to the gorilla enclosure in the TransAlta Rainforest Building. For now, they’re getting used to their outdoor environment (which includes a heated barn and other heated features for the winter) but in the future the zoo plans to combine the primate enclosures to give the animals a bigger space to roam and allow them to interact with other primate species. This, said Celli, is common in the wild. Zoos have also begun rotating or combining enclosures to help satisfy primates’ natural curiosity, giving them new territory to explore, as well allowing them to encounter the smells and markings left by other animals, as they would in the wild.

What’s the outlook for mandrills in the wild?

Mandrills are considered a vulnerable species. In the wild, they face few natural predators, said Celli, mostly rock pythons, leopards and eagles who prey on the young. Their biggest threat, by far, comes from humans. Mandrills in Africa are hunted for bush meat and are also under stress from shrinking habitat and encroachment from human development. Hard numbers of mandrills in the wild are hard to get, since the shy animals often reside deep within the rainforest, but zoo programs consider captive groups an important part of conservation efforts. As the zoo moves forward with plans to expand and renovate its primate habitat, it may consider introducing females for a breeding program.

Who else is coming to the Calgary Zoo?

Mandrills are only the first of many new species slated to make their debut at the Calgary Zoo in the coming weeks. Komodo Dragons are on tap to appear around the beginning of June, while the former elephant area is being renovated to accommodate a Rhinoceros who should be arriving later in the summer. Meanwhile, keepers are keeping an eye out for a set of otter pups born at the zoo two months ago. Rumour has it the mother has been taking her pups out for night swims, away from prying eyes, but zoo staff expect she’ll be ready to take them public very soon.

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Six things to know about Zoo's colourful trio of mandrill monkeys | video

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